10 things you need to know before the opening bell

Foto: Reuters/Alexander Nemenov
Russia's President Vladimir Putin arrives to chair a meeting of the Pobeda (Victory) Organising Committee, with a focus on developing humanitarian cooperation at the government and public level with other countries, in order to promote objective information on Russia’s history and present, including its role in the victory over Nazism, at the Kremlin in Moscow.

Here is what you need to know.

The French election is coming. France will go to the polls Sunday for the first round of its presidential election. Four candidates are within percentage points of one another in the polls, but only two will advance.

Europe’s economic renaissance shows no signs of slowing down. “By country, faster business activity growth in France – the strongest seen since May 2011 – was offset by a moderation in Germany, albeit with the pace of German expansion still running at one of the fastest seen over the past six years,” a release from Markit announcing the data said.

UK retail sales whiff. Retail sales fell by 1.4% in the first quarter, making for “the third consecutive decrease for the underlying 3 month on 3 month pattern,” according to the Office for National Statistics.

Deutsche Bank breaks the Volker Rule. The German investment bank was fined about $157 million for allowing traders to make risky bets and for allowing currency traders to chat online with competitors, Bloomberg says.

Earnings reports flow. General Electric, Honeywell, Schlumberger, and SunTrust are among the names reporting before the opening bell.

US economic data is moderate. Markit manufacturing PMI and Markit services PMI will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET before existing-home sales cross the wires at 10 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is unchanged at 2.23%.